November opened with a gender equality and women’s leadership workshop in Bangkok for customs and law enforcement officers of the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Jointly implemented by the Container Control Programme (CCP) and the Global Maritime Crime Programme (GMCP) under the Blue Enforcement Project (the Project), the workshop brought together 26 women from organizations such as the Sri Lankan Navy and Ministry of Fisheries, the Maldives’ National Defence Force and Environmental Protection Agency, and Thailand’s Department of Fisheries and Port Customs Office.
The Project, generously funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, emphasises the importance of inter-agency and international cooperation to address crimes in the fisheries sector (CFS). A key component of this Project is the recognition that women play a vital part in countering this type of crime and that empowerment of women in customs, law enforcement and fishery departments should be high on the international agenda. Considering the significant impact that crimes in the fisheries sector have on environmental, economic, food and national security, every step towards greater inclusivity and efficiency can make a difference.
The workshop covered areas such as mainstreaming gender in law enforcement and the fisheries sector, communicating gender equality in the workplace and the influence of gender norms on the actions of women, including within the fisheries sector. Participants had the opportunity to bond over shared experiences such as the gendered division of tasks and one of the group exercises revealed that women may not have the same opportunity to participate in training activities as their male peers. This disadvantage may in turn directly impact their career progression.
Participants attended a field visit to the WCO Regional Training Centre at the Thai Customs Academy enabling them to build professional relationships with another customs agency and learn from the methodologies and procedures of their counterparts. Experts from each participating country also presented, including a woman in customs from the host country directly involved in one of the biggest seizures of heroin in Thai Custom’s history. By introducing practical examples of women in leadership, participants gained confidence in their own leadership journeys. One woman commented that before attending the workshop, she lacked confidence in public speaking. However, after hearing from the trainer and the experts and engaging with frequent presentation exercises throughout the workshop, she has gained the confidence to speak up and speak out, which she believes will greatly impact her career.
CCP and GMCP will continue to focus on active gender mainstreaming and empowerment of women in programme implementation.
Both programmes are grateful for the hospitality and dedication of the participating countries and all other national institutions and guest speakers that were instrumental to the organization and success of this visit.
Read more: CCP work on CFS, the CCP Women's Network and GMCP
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